Mansfield ISD Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 11

A Three Academic Decathlon Teams Advance to State fter outstanding performances at the regional level, three Mansfield ISD teams headed to one of the most rigorous academic competitions in Texas. Students from Summit High School, Legacy High School and Lake Ridge High School competed at the state Academic Decathlon (AcDec) competition Feb. 23-26 in El Paso. AcDec includes students from all academic backgrounds. Each nine-member team consists of three “A” students, three “B “students and three “C” students. The participants compete in two speeches, an interview, essay, written comprehensive exams and the Super Quiz, a collaborative contest in which teams answer multiple-choice questions. Summit High School was ranked fifth going into state. The team finished fourth at the regional competition and earned 31 individual medals. The group also won a gold medal in the Super Quiz relay. The Legacy High School team placed seventh in the region. Two individual medals were earned. Lake Ridge High School finished in eighth place at the regional competition. The team earned four individual medals. Debate Students are Statebound F ive Mansfield ISD high school students qualified for state debate competitions and earned a chance to showcase their communication skills with some of the top students in the state. Devyn Hinds and Benjamin Speigner, both seniors at Legacy High School, accumulated scores high enough to qualify for the University Interscholastic League (UIL) State Cross-Examination Debate, the 2017 Texas Forensic Association’s (TFA) Annual State Tournament and the Northeast Texas Debate Association (NTDA) Championship Tournament. It is the first time in MISD history that two students will be advancing to three separate state debate competitions. Seniors Benjamin Speigner and Devyn Hinds qualified for three state competitions. Legacy High School senior Alyssa Crosby and sophomore Phillip Ipock also qualified for the NTDA state tournament. In addition, Summit High School junior Brandon Martin competed at the UIL State Congress Meet, which took place in January. He placed fifth overall and was awarded Outstanding Presiding Officer. Debate competitions encourage students to become effective communicators and critical thinkers. To qualify for any of the state competitions, contestants must earn a certain amount of points throughout the regular season. Mansfield School & Family 9